Thuja plant named ‘Quethucor’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct variety of  Thuja  plant, referred to by its cultivar name, ‘Coral Queen’, is disclosed. The new variety forms attractive bright golden colored foliage turning to bright red in the fall and winter. Slow growing and compact growth habit is provided. The new variety is well suited for providing attractive ornamentation in the landscape.

Botanical/commercial classification:

Latin name: Thuja orientalis.

Varietal denomination: ‘Quethucor’.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new variety of Thuja orientalis plant originated in a controlledbreeding program in Fukuoka, Japan during 1998. The new cultivar wascreated by cross-pollination wherein two parents were crossed whichpreviously had been studied in the hope that they would contribute thedesired characteristics. The female parent (i.e., the seed parent) wasthe ‘H202’ variety (non-patented), which is a breeder seedling. The maleparent (i.e, the pollen parent) was the ‘H110’ variety (non-patented),which is a breeder seedling.

The parentage of the new variety can be summarized as follows:‘H202’ x ‘H110’

The new cultivar was discovered and selected as a single flowering plantfrom the progeny resulting from the above stated cross-pollinationduring 2000 in a controlled environment in Fukuoka, Japan. Selectivestudy resulted in the identification of a single plant of the newvariety.

It was found that the new variety of Thuja plant of the presentinvention:

-   -   (a) forms bright golden foliage color turning to bright red in        fall and winter, and    -   (b) provides slow growing and compact growth habit.

The new variety well meets the needs of the horticultural industry. Itcan be grown to advantage as ornamentation in parks, gardens, publicareas, and in residential settings. Accordingly, the plant isparticularly well suited for growing in the landscape.

The new variety of the present invention can readily be distinguishedfrom its ancestors. In particular, the new variety is more compact andshorter than both ‘H202’ (i.e., the female parent) and ‘H110’ (i.e., themale parent). Moreover, the new variety can also be distinguished fromother similar varieties that are commercially available. For instance,the new variety of the present invention can readily be distinguishedfrom the ‘Aurea Nana’ variety (non-patented), as the new cultivardisplays a brighter foliage color and a foliage color that fades lesscompared to the ‘Aurea Nana’ variety.

The new variety has been found to undergo asexual propagation bysoftwood cuttings. Asexual propagation by softwood cuttings in Fukuoka,Japan since 2002 has shown that the characteristics of the new varietyare stable and are strictly transmissible by such asexual propagationfrom one generation to another. Accordingly, the new variety undergoesasexual propagation in a true-to-type manner.

The new variety has been named ‘Quethucor’.

The first sale of the new variety was on Oct. 1, 2020 by the inventor orby another who obtained the new variety directly or indirectly from theinventor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph shows as nearly true as it is reasonablypossible to make the same, in a color illustration of this character, atypical specimen of the plant and plant parts of the new variety. Colorsin the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed description, which accurately describes the colors of the‘Quethucor’ variety. The plant was approximately four years old and wasgrown in the ground in November 2015 at Cochranville, Pa.

Drawing—illustrates a specimen of the plant displaying the overallgrowth and flowering habit—side view.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The chart used in the identification of the colors is that of The RoyalHorticultural Society (R.H.S. Colour Chart), 1966 edition, London,England, except where general color terms of ordinary significance areused. The terminology which precedes reference to the chart has beenadded to indicate the corresponding color in more common terms. Thefollowing description is based upon the observation of typical plants ofthe new variety at an age of approximately two years during the month ofFebruary while growing in a container in Cochranville, Pa., U.S.A. Thegrowing conditions approximated those employed for the commercialproduction of Thuja plants.

-   Propagation:    -   -   Type cutting.—Semi-hardwood cuttings.-   Plant:    -   -   Growth habit.—Slow growing, compact, perennial evergreen            shrub.        -   Time to initiate roots.—6-8 weeks.        -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—10-12 weeks.        -   Commercial crop time.—18-24 months.        -   Resistance to disease.—No disease susceptibility noticed to            date.        -   Resistance to pests.—No pest problems noticed to date.        -   General description.—Height in a one-quart container:            40.0 cm. Width in a one-quart container: 14.0 cm.        -   Cold hardiness.—U.S.D.A. Zones 6 to 9.        -   Root description.—Fibrous.        -   Growth rate.—Slow.        -   Stem shape.—Oval.        -   Stem size.—Main branch: Average of 6.0 mm in diameter and            29.0 cm in length. Lateral branches: Average of 3.0 mm in            diameter and 8.0 cm in length.        -   Stem surface.—Young branches are glabrous and knobby with            scales.        -   Branching.—Main stem arises from base with numerous            secondary branches, number of lateral branches, 8.0 cm in            length, an average of 5 per main stem.        -   Branch arrangement.—Alternate.        -   Branch aspect.—Main stems upright, lateral stems held at            about an average of 20-30-degree angle from the main stem            with flat sprays that spread outwards.        -   Internode length.—1.0 cm.        -   Stem color.—Young stems: commonly near Greyed-Orange Group            174B. Mature stems: commonly near Greyed-Orange Group 177B.        -   Flowers, cones, and seeds.—None observed to date.-   Foliage:    -   -   Leaf arrangement.—Numerous leaves arranged on planar            branchlets (closely alternate or opposite), scale-like            decussate.        -   Leaf shape.—Facial pair keeled, flat pair flattened and            oblong.        -   Leaf division.—Simple.        -   Leaf base.—Cuneate.        -   Leaf apex.—Apiculate.        -   Leaf venation.—Not visible.        -   Leaf glands.—Inconspicuous.        -   Leaf margins.—Entire.        -   Leaf surface.—Upper and lower; glabrous, smooth.        -   Winter leaf color of young foliage.—Upper surface: commonly            near Greyed-Orange Group 173B. Lower surface: commonly near            Greyed-Orange Group 173A.        -   Winter leaf color mature foliage.—Upper surface: commonly            near Greyed-Orange Group 171B. Lower surface: commonly near            Yellow-Green Group 146B.        -   Leaf size.—Average of 3.0 mm in length and 1.5 mm in width.        -   Leaf quantity.—About 17 leaves per lateral branch.        -   Fragrance.—Somewhat acrid when crushed.

The new ‘Quethucor’ variety has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that thephenotypic expression may vary somewhat with changes in light intensityand duration, cultural practices, and other environmental conditions,without variance of the genotype.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Thuja plant characterized bythe following combination of characteristics: (a) forms bright goldenfoliage color turning to bright red in fall and winter, and (b) providesslow growing and compact growth habit; substantially as herein shown anddescribed.